To Do the Impossible
by Ninjafairytama
Summary: After years of wandering and mourning, Zeref realizes that he has to die soon, or else he'll hurt someone else. Then, Team Natsu comes back to Tenroujima and he has his first encounter with a certain blond mage. Set between Tartarous and Alvarez. Zercy, some Nali, mentions of Nalu.
1. Chapter 1: The Wizard of Death

**A/N So, I finally decided to make a Zercy fic! I'm not sure if I'm going to include the Alvarez arc, since this right after Tartarous, but if I do, it won't happen for awhile. It'll definitely be different than the cannon.**

 **Zeref really needed a redemption. Jellal got one, so why couldn't he?! Gajeel did too, and he was crazy when they first introduced him! He abused Lucy, and Zeref never did anything like that. He never wanted to hurt anyone, except himself! Zeref was just a child who missed his brother, and the girl he loved was killed because of those feelings.**

 **He and Natsu are going to get their resolution at some point, so don't worry. Oh, and this has nothing to do with my other fic Akira. I will update that one this weekend.**

 **Onto the chapter!**

"Come on, Happy!" Natsu called, before the blue exceed flew after him.

"Is there any fish here?" Happy asked.

"I don't know, buddy. But, if we find any, I promise to cook some for you."

"Aye!"

"Why are we here again?" Lucy asked, sulking.

"We are here to tend to First Master's grave," Erza reminded. "This is an honor. Treat it like one."

"Yes, ma'am."

Shortly after Tartarous, the master said he wanted to visit First Master's grave, but he was older and that he should't be so rash, given the amount of times he had already almost died.

After awhile of melting in the heat, Lucy snapped fully back into consciousness and looked around to find that her friends have gone missing. She was alone.

"Natsu? Gray? Erza? Happy?" she called, hoping someone would answer.

She took a few steps forward, then a growl sounded throughout the forest. Lucy tensed up. Then, she turned around and a dinosaur towered above her, angered because she invaded its turf.

"S-Sorry, I'll be going now," she stated, trying to scurry away.

It roared and she yelped, and she felt the wind from its breath brush against her face.

...

A man with dark hair and a toga heard a loud crash as he moved through the forest. Curious, as there was rarely any sound of violence on Tenroujima, he walked ahead and peaked through the trees.

There was a blond woman who had a cow man fighting off a dinosaur with its axe.

"Capricorn!" she yelled.

The thing known as Capricorn appeared out of nowhere and charged the dinosaur and wrestled it until Taurus was able to get close enough to cut it. Hurt, the creature decided to retreat, since it knew that it stood no chance against its opponents.

"When I find them, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!" Lucy angrily declared, before she let her summons fade away.

Then, she stopped moving and looked around.

"Is someone there?"

She had the feeling she was being watched as soon as she caught her breath. A chill went up her spine. It was as if the grim reaper was planning its next move. Lucy was about to look away, but a figure moved out from behind the trees.

"Zeref."

…

Zeref watched her as she set her hand on her keys, just waiting for him to lash out. He couldn't blame her, since he was the most dangerous wizard alive. However, he had no plan to attack her, but he didn't have control over his power, so he was glad that she wasn't foolish enough to let her guard down.

"You're a spirit mage," he remarked.

"And, you're a wizard of death."

They stared at each other and a gust of wind blew her golden locks of hair around. Some wild animals retreated from the area, since they got bad vibes from the two. Surprisingly, Zeref was the first to speak.

"I never thought I would see any of Fairy Tail here again, because of last time. Where are your nakama?"

He saw her as she grimaced. Zeref knew he hit a mark. They must've abandoned her. What comrades they were.

"Around," she said. "Where are your followers?"

"Wreaking unnecessary havoc. And, how much damage has Fairy Tail caused? Our groups aren't so different, Fairy Tail is no better than my followers."

"Shut up!"

Yet again, he must've hit a mark. She clearly treasured her nakama more than anything else, even her own life. People like that were foolish. They got themselves killed, or suffered when the other died. There was no in-between.

"No matter anyones opinion of them, they mean the world to me, and I won't just let you badmouth them!"

He could've pushed her buttons more, but decided not to, given the interesting matter at hand.

"Strange, usually, my curse would've gone off by now. It seems like fate has plans for you."

"You little-"

"Lushee!"

…

Lucy turned away from Zeref and Happy flew into her. She wrapped her arms around the blue fur-ball, keeping him close.

"Happy!"

"I'm so sorry, Lushee! I got distracted by fish! I didn't mean to abandon you!"

"Did you find her?" Gray asked, peaking out from behind the trees.

"I got separated," she explained.

"What's with the trees?" Natsu asked.

She turned around and realized that all the trees behind her were dead. There leaves were crumbling off. The sight horrified her. Lucy immediately realized that Zeref was the cause.

"That's odd, they weren't like that a few minutes ago," she said, not knowing what else to tell them.

"Well, we better find Erza, before she comes and yanks you out herself," Gray said, getting things back to the matter at hand.

Lucy shuddered at the thought.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Then, they started to move towards the path, and a white cloud covered the sun, and an eerie breeze swept though the island.

…

Zeref watched them leave. He managed to teleport to a high place up in the rocks and stared down at them.

"Natsu, please kill me soon, before it's too late."

 **A/N Here it is! There aren't enough Zerlu fics out there! And, no, Lucy will not be trained by a dragon. And, Lisanna won't be much of a focus here, but she will be brought up a few times. I wonder if the reason Hiro didn't let Zeref and Lucy interact more was because he was afraid of the backlash the fandom would give him when they realized how much chemistry the characters have. The Alvarez started off strong, but was disappointing in the end. Well, at least Jerza didn't become cannon. I will have the next chapter out shortly, so see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Strange Shadow

**A/N I told you I would update soon! Ten moments after posting the first chapter, I already got either a follower or a favorite, so thank's for the support! Just remember to follow if you want the update notifications. Anyway,** **wanted to clarify that in this version, Fairy Tail wasn't destroyed in the Tartarous arc. I hope that clears up some confusion.**

 **Enjoy!**

Ever since that day on Tenroujima, Lucy felt like she was being watched. Lucy felt like she had to keep peeking over her shoulder to make sure she was alone.

Their mission was a success, and no further encounters with the dark mage happened. Lucy and Erza put flowers on the grave, Gray made an ice one that would only vanish if his life ended, Natsu lit the candles, and Happy sat a fish beside the grave. He asked if Mavis could eat it, and no one told him, but everyone thought she wouldn't even if she could.

Lucy was on her way home, walking on the side of the river, like she did every normal evening.

"Be careful, miss!" a guy on a boat warned.

"Okay!" she responded, practically ignoring him.

Her apartment was close, she could see it from where she was. But, the strange feeling returned, and she whipped around, expecting to find her stalker.

"I know you're there! You've been following me all week! You can't hide forever!"

She could've sworn that she saw a person's shadow sticking out from an alleyway. It vanished, and when she looked down the alley, there was no one there.

Lucy huffed and stormed into her apartment, locking her door. She installed some protection runes at the entrance just to be safe.

After dinner, she went over to her desk and started writing her daily letter to her mother.

 **Dear Mother,**

 **As you know, we went to Tenroujima to pay respects to First Master. I didn't tell you last time, but I had an encounter with the dark mage, Zeref. He didn't harm me (surprisingly, since I'm one of his enemies) but decided to speak to me. He said he was surprised I wasn't dead. I remember a weird wave of death from our first encounter. Natsu barely survived, but his scarf managed to absorb the damage. Zeref seemed to be in pain, as if it was a curse. Am I somehow immune to it? It didn't go off around me like it did when the others were there the first time.**

 **Anyway, ever since then, I've felt like someone has been watching. I'm surprised Natsu hasn't noticed, since he has really strong senses. Maybe the person backs off when Natsu gets close, afraid he'll be discovered by him. Maybe he truly is after me.**

 **Well, I have to go to bed, and I'll keep in touch, if my stalker doesn't kill me beforehand. Just kidding! I won't go down without a fight!**

 **See you later, mom!**

 **Love,**

 **Your daughter, Lucy**

"Goodnight!" she said, to no one in particular.

She slept for a few hours, then heard a noise. Her blood ran cold. There was cold air that wasn't there before, and she realized that the window beside her bed was open. Lucy reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her keys, before she let her bare feet hit the carpet.

Lucy crept through her apartment and realized that the kitchen light was on. She did _not_ leave it on. Then, she peered into the room, and yelped.

"Hello, Luce!"

"N-Natsu?! What are you doing here? It's two in the morning!" she said, gesturing to the clock on the wall.

"I was hungry, and I was hanging out with Happy, who was tired, so I let him go home, and decided to stop here for a midnight snack. What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?! It's two a.m! I was trying to sleep! You can't just break into someone's house like that! I could've hurt you!"

Just then, Natsu noticed that she was holding her keys. She was really mad, and tempted to hurt him either way, but restrained herself. It wasn't like he knew someone was stalking her.

"Natsu, please leave."

"But-"

"Leave!"

He crawled out of the window moments later, muttering something about her being scary, and a party-pooper. A scary party-pooper.

'Sigh,' "I haven't slept much all week. Maybe I'm hallucinating?"

No one answered her. That was good, because it would've been creepier if someone did.

"Yeah, that's it. Nothing a good nights sleep can't fix!"

Then, she got some milk, chugged it down, curled up in bed, and fell asleep shortly after. But, before that, she locked the window.

For the first time in a week, she felt safe.

…

Zeref was watching the house. He planned to appear before her, but he had to wait for the right moment. He had seen the Lucy Kick before, and didn't wish to receive one.

"I'll see you soon," he whispered, before disappearing into the shadows.

…

Lucy woke up the next morning and she felt well-rested. She was relieved, because she didn't have any bags under her eyes. If she did, some of her teammates would definitely have some comments.

Lucy walked beside the river (again) and didn't listen to the peoples warnings (again). Instead of ending up like usual, her toe hit part of the stone, which made her wobble. She closed her eyes and prepared to get drenched, only for some pressure to form on her wrist. Then, she realized that she didn't get wet and someone held onto her wrist, preventing the water from soiling her clothes.

"T-Thank you," she muttered, when she stabilized herself.

Then, she saw who it was that saved her, and glanced behind herself, realizing that she couldn't retreat.

"You."

…

Zeref watched her, and amusement twinkled in his eyes.

"I just saved you, and 'you' is all you can say?"

"I can swim," she mumbled, hating being saw as defenseless.

He saw her hand press against her keys.

"We shouldn't cause trouble here," he stated.

She was about to retort, but he grabbed her wrist, and teleported them to her room. Then, he closed the curtain, cutting off their view of the outside world.

"What do you want?" she asked, desperate to end the conversation.

"What are you?"

"Huh?"

"My curse. You've seen it before, it kills everything in its path. Earlier, it should've killed you, but here you are," Zeref explained.

"I'm just an ordinary mage."

"Liar! If you were ordinary, you would be dead!"

His eyes blazed crimson, and he saw her take a deep breath, and hold it. He took a moment to calm himself, letting his eyes return to normal.

"What is your name?"

…

Lucy hesitated. She didn't want to tell him, but she knew he would be around for awhile, and wanted to at least have a normal conversation with him.

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."

"So, you're a Heartfilia. That explains everything."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she questioned.

"I've had history with many of your clan, mainly your ancestor, Anna Heartfilia, and some with Layla Heartfilia, and none of them have been affected by my curse, just like you."

"Wait, you knew my mother?!"

"Before you were born, Layla tried to hide you from me. She used to work close beside me as one of my strongest warriors, then she disappeared. But, she didn't boycott her duties, because shortly after, she helped with a little project," he explained.

"Project?"

Zeref nodded.

"Your ancestor, Anna Heartfilia, helped me create Eclipse. Its purpose was to send some powerful warriors into the future to defeat Acnologia, or at least that's how Anna saw it. I saw it as a way to defeat him, and myself."

"You wanted to destroy yourself? Just, what exactly did you send into our time?"

"In time, it will all be revealed. But, your mother died shortly after the weapons were brought into this time. She didn't want you to have that fate, so she sealed her own. You should be grateful, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy ran forward and tried to punch him in the face, but he swiftly dodged.

"You killed my mother! You killed my father! You killed Aquarius! You killed my family!"

She kept trying to whack him, but he avoided each strike with ease.

Then, she got close, and he caught her fist.

"I didn't kill any of them. All that happened was inevitable ever since the night I received this curse," he said.

"Why... Why couldn't it have been me?" she sobbed.

…

Zeref watched her. He completely understood what she felt. She blamed herself for those tragedies, like he blamed himself for Natsu's death. If only he could've took Natsu's place.

'But, would it have been enough?' a voice in the back of his head asked. 'Would he have became the person you are now?'

'No, it wouldn't have happened. Natsu's better than that!'

'But, you never know. You were once pure like him.'

"What would that have accomplished? If you took your mothers place, she would've been sad, and your father would have to take care of her. He wouldn't want to see her that way, and would say 'Lucy, why did you have to go? Why couldn't it have been me?' It sounds like Aquarius chose her fate because she wanted you to live, and you want to honor her death by dying?"

Zeref didn't know what drove him to say those words, but he truly spoke from the bottom of his heart. He could tell he struck a cord in Lucy, because she started to shake. If he looked at her face, he would'e saw tears.

"And, what of your nakama? I'm sure they treasure every moment they have with you. If you died in Aquarius's place, everyone would've died! You summoned the Spirit King and saved Fairy Tail! Only a strong mage could do that, so don't thing for a moment that you're useless!"

…

Some fresh tears stained the carpet. She didn't know Zeref, the darkest mage could speak like that. For a moment, she felt like he actually cared.

Then, she remembered the day that Natsu invited her to Fairy Tail. The warm smile he had her on her face. Just thinking about it brought a small smile to her own.

Something about Zeref reminded her of Natsu, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It definitely wasn't the look, it was how he encouraged her to move forward, lending her his strength.

Next, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him gently.

…

She was touching him. Him. The darkest mage. Shouldn't she be afraid? Ready to attack the second he moved?

Not sure what to do, his arms somehow made their way to her back, rubbing against her sun colored strands of hair.

"D-Don't touch me, human," he warned, not having touched a human in so long.

"Zeref, I'm okay!" she told him, shocking him.

For some reason, the curse didn't lash out and consume her. He was right about her, she definitely was an oddity.

Tears broke out of his own eyes, and he did the best he could to silence his cries. She let him pull her close, and their knees touched the soft carpet.

"It's okay."

…

Lucy would remember that day until she went to rest, but she was currently focused on what the future would hold, especially if her nakama found out she had been communicating with Zeref. Gray and Erza had a bad history with him, and he was an enemy that Natsu swore to take down.

"Hey, what will happen if my nakama find out about you? They don't have the best history with you, and will try to take you down on sight."

"I don't plan on having contact with them anytime soon. Why, do you want me to stay?"

"I-I won't mind if you stay in the area, but you have to be careful, and if you become a threat, I'll report you. Got it?"

Zeref nodded.

He seemed to have got the message. She knew she should report him immediately, but he didn't seem to be as bad as the rumors said. Plus, she wanted to know more about him, and he clearly hadn't told her the whole story about her mother, and she wanted to know whether or not his weapons would be any threat to Ishgar.

She looked down and caught a glimpse of his face. Tears filled up his eyelids and his cheeks were slightly pink from crying. Lucy blushed. He was so-

He got up and turned away, wiping his eyes with his toga. She pretended she didn't see anything for his prides sake.

"Lushee!"

"Happy!" Lucy called, before hissing, "hide!"

…

Zeref bolted to her closet, and hid behind a laundry basket. He hoped the darkness in the closest would help him blend in. He grimaced when his head bumped a shelf. It was cramped. There were various items of clothing that he had no interest in touching, which made the situation more annoying than it already was. He was Zeref, the darkest mage of all times, yet here he was, in a young woman's closet.

Then, he almost face-palmed.

Why didn't he use his teleporting magic?! He must've been to caught up in the moment to think of it, and now, she expected him to be there when she finished with her guests. Great. Just, great.

...

There was an explosion that rocked their room.

"Sorry!" Lucy said, yanking Natsu and Happy inside.

"What was that, Luce?" Natsu asked.

"I must've dropped a magic charm over there," she lied, wishing she could tell the truth.

"Keep it down!" a person downstairs demanded.

"Sorry!" Lucy shouted, back.

…

Zeref got as close to the door as possible, wanting to hear all of the conversation. Natsu Drageel, his brother, his baby brother was there. He had never had the chance to hear what Natsu was like when he was happy, since he was always in a bad mood around Zeref.

The Book of END appeared out of thin air and landed in his arms. He wrapped his arms around it, in place of the hug he would've given Natsu in another reality. Zeref held back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. He already cried enough today.

…

"I'm sorry about last night, Luce. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Want some fish?" Happy asked, holding them out to her.

"How about this: I'll take the fish and I'll make us a feast for dinner tonight."

"Really? Luce, you're the best!" Natsu complimented, making her blush slightly.

"Aye! Thanks, Lushee!"

She rubbed the exceeds head.

"Anytime! Just, don't break in like that again, okay, Natsu?"

"Aye!"

Then, she went over to the fridge and stored the fish.

She turned around and noticed that Natsu was sniffing the air.

"W-What is it?" she asked.

"You smell different."

"R-Really?"

Lucy knew it was because Zeref's scent rubbed off on her when they hugged earlier. Hopefully, he wouldn't recognize Zeref's scent.

"Oh, I just haven't showered in awhile," she lied (again)

Wow, Zeref really was a bad influence on people. She just met him and she already turned into a liar.

"Lucy's stinky," Happy said, before holding back a burst of laughter.

"You cat!" she snapped, before chasing after him.

…

Zeref listened to the whole conversation. He was glad that he found someone who cared for his brother. Someone who would be so kind. He wondered if the rest of Fairy Tail was like that.

The next thing Natsu said scared him.

"I've smelled this scent before."

"N-Natsu."

He assumed that Natsu got really close to her and made her nervous. He could tell by her voice, and the silence that struck the room.

Zeref had to think quick, and he had to come up with something good!

…

"Natsu, what are you doing?"

Lucy looked up and saw Gray there with nothing but his boxes on.

"Put some clothes on, ice striper!"

"Was that supposed to be an insult, flame eater?"

"Flame eater? Are you running out of insults?"

It looked like a fight would break out any moment.

"Not in my house!" Lucy yelled.

"Fine! Meet me outside."

Natsu left and Happy flew after him, after Happy said 'bye'.

Smoke appeared around Gray and Zeref was there in his stead.

"Wow, you impersonated Gray really well. How'd you do it?"

"I understand the 'emo' type pretty well," Zeref said, shrugging. "It's not like this was my first time seeing him."

"True."

"Well, I better get going. You have a novel to give your friend, right?"

"H-How do you know that?"

"I have my ways."

Then, he disappeared, leaving her alone again. She definitely had to shower before going over to Fairy Tail. Multiple dragonslayers in one place meant a huge chance of being busted, and she didn't want to take that risk.

So, she entered the shower, with her thoughts filled with a certain mage.

 **A/N And, that's it! Did I make him to occ? I tried to stick to his character as much as possible. I think I did a decent job. You have to take note to the fact that his curse wasn't killing anyone for once, so that changed him a bit.**

 **I will focus on him and Lucy a bit before making him interact with the other Fairy Tail members, so be patient! I'm sure most of you were here for the Zerlu anyway.**

 **See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Curiosity Captured the Cat

**A/N I changed the title of this story from Redemption to To Do the Impossible. The title will make more sense after you read this chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

Lucy ended up going back to Fairy Tail. She didn't sense Zeref watching her, so she knew she was alone. That made her feel relieved, but at the same time, a small part of her wondered where he had gone.

She arrived at Fairy Tail, holding her novel up to her chest.

"Hi, Lucy!" Levy greeted, waving.

Lucy ran over to her.

"Hi, Levy. The novel is ready. I'll be able to publish it soon, but before I submit it, I want you to be the first reader like we agreed on."

"What's it about?"

"A guy filled with darkness fell in love with a fairy. They went on many adventures together, but in the end, they kissed, and the fairy died, and he was filled with darkness again."

"T-That's so sad!" Levy said, as she tried not to cry.

"My mom used to tell me stories when I was little. She rarely read them from a book, and this was one of the ones from the top of her head. Do you think I should make a sequel?"

"Yes! You have to make it so he finds happiness or else it won't be a true fairytale!"

Lucy agreed. She would make a sequel that took place many years in the future where the guy found love again. But, how should she do it?

"Is something wrong, Lucy?"

"N-Nothing is wrong! I'm just thinking about the next book."

"Sounds like Lucy needs some real life inspiration," Mira stated, with an evil grin.

"M-Mira!"

"What are you going to do, Mira?" Levy questioned, right before Mira whispered her plan into Levy's ear.

Levy's grin matched Mira's own, which only increased Lucy's fear, since it took a lot to make Levy act like that.

…

Zeref prowled the streets of Magnolia. He didn't have any place to go at the moment, and he knew that Lucy would be busy for the rest of the day. All he had to do was avoid humans and he should be fine.

He heard a giggle and turned his head. Sitting in an outside restaurant was Lucy. She wore a blue tank-top and a tan skirt. There was a guy there who wore a stripped shirt, glasses, and had crystal blue eyes.

"You really like it?" he heard Lucy ask.

"Yes, though I really hope the guy gets a happy ending in the sequel. Will he find a woman who loves him, or a family?"

"Maybe both? I still haven't decided."

"Well, if you can't decide, just pick what would make you happy, or find someone with similar circumstances."

"So, I should base the story off their life?" she questioned.

"Yes, though you'll probably have to change things up a bit. Most people don't have a curse that kills those they love."

"True."

Base the story off someone she knew, eh? And, the only person she knew that fit those descriptions was none other than himself.

But, the only problem was that living itself was miserable to him, and that he had no chance of finding happiness. Anhkseram himself forbid it, so how was he supposed to find happiness and even consider falling in love in the first place?

Zeref let his dark thoughts linger in his mind for a few minutes. He decided that he would see what Lucy was truly capable of, and if she could somehow help him find those things. He would see if she truly was capable of doing the impossible.

…

That evening, Lucy had dinner with Natsu as promised. She already came to the conclusion that Zeref was the key to her story, but didn't know where to start. How was she supposed to single-handedly change the most evil wizard in history?

She turned around and yelled. Speak of the devil and he shall appear, they say.

"W-What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

"I have no where else to be."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"If you must know, I came to bother you," he answered, with a smirk.

"So it seems."

…

There was a moment of silence. He wasn't the best at initiating conversations, because he rarely had to. Most people would die before they had a chance to speak with him. The fact that his curse didn't activate still puzzled him, but he didn't want to dwell on that at the moment. Zeref wanted to see if she truly could change him and give him the 'happy-ending' that was spoken of. He doubted it, but the girl was full of mysteries. He wanted to know if she could do the impossible.

"So, have you been writing lately?"

"We've just met, yet you know so much about me," she remarked, with a smirk of her own forming.

"We're going to be stuck with each other for awhile, so might as well learn about the one who caught me."

"Fair enough. Yes, I have been. One of my books is almost ready to be published, but it has a sad ending. The man accidentally killed the one he loved and is sad. I want to make a sequel and give him a happy-ending, but I feel like I need help, since I don't know how to change such a man. I can't believe I'm saying this, but do you have any advice?"

Zeref couldn't believe it. She actually asked him for help. To be honest, he didn't know how he was supposed to answer that, since the dilemma her character had was his own.

"I believe that the man needs someone by his side," was all he managed to say.

"I see. Thanks! I'll start from there."

Lucy walked over to her desk and grabbed a pen. She started to work on her story, ignoring him.

'Now, what will you do, Lucy Heartfilia?'

…

Mavis Vermillion currently watched the odd pair. She had a strong hope in her heart, one she haven't possessed in many years. Zeref actually wanted to change, and she believed that Lucy had the chance to help him. Hopefully, none of Lucy's allies nor enemies would interrupt their progress.

…

Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse, rested in a cave. One arm was still missing, so he was not in a very good mood.

"You said you would not act in this era, but how long can you hold your word, Zeref?" he asked, no one in particular. "I sense an awakening. Soon, my time to descend on this world will come, and there will be nothing you or END can do to stop it. The dragons _will_ die, and the pathetic humans will go down with them. I can't wait for the battle between an immortal, a demon, and a dragon to commerce."

Grey clouds rolled in and raindrops began to fall out of the sky. Bloodlust sizzled in Acnologia's bones. He could not wait to get the revenge he had been seeking for the past few hundred years. It was going to be sweet.

 **A/N And, that's the chapter! The battle will happen towards the end of the story, and it'll be grand. But, I have no idea how it's going to happen yet. There's a lot of stuff that needs to happen before Acnologia's appearance.**

 **Lucy will have her role in the fight, but she probably won't be a major figure. She'll be more busy helping people evacuate and defending people than taking down the enemy.**

 **Acnologia definitely won't go down as easily as he did in the manga.**

 **Thanks for favoriting/following this story! I hope you have a good time reading it! See you next time!**

 **P.S, I'm on Christmas break (which won't end till the day after New Years) so I'll be able to update stories more often.**


	4. Chapter 4: Lucy's Nakama

**A/N Happy New Years! Fairy Tail is going to come back this year for a final season! The arc was kind of a disappointment, but I still love the series! All my favorite series are ending. ):**

 **Onto the chapter!**

Shortly after her last encounter with Zeref, she went on a mission. The mission was to destroy some monsters in a forest nearby. Natsu, Gray, even Erza were hyped about, but killing monsters wasn't really Lucy's thing.

"Bring it on!" Natsu bellowed, charging the crab-like creature.

"I want to eat it," Happy said.

Lucy tried not to roll her eyes.

She turned around, and yelped. Peering at her from in-between the trees was Zeref. Lucy went up, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him back into the forest. Happy didn't even notice, since he was to busy drooling over the crab monsters.

"What are you doing here?!" she hissed, letting go of his hand.

"It's still remarkable that you haven't rotted away," he remarked.

'Not creepy at all,' she sarcastically thought.

"Never mind that, how are you even here? Have you been following me?!"

"Maybe," he quietly answered.

'Sigh', "Look, you need to be more careful. If Natsu detects your sent, you'll be busted."

"You mean, we'll be busted. You're the one that keeps talking to me. You could've alerted them of my presence, yet you didn't," he deadpanned.

"J-Just be glad I bother putting up with you at all! You should appreciate me more, since I'm the only person you can get close to without causing immediate harm. Now, I should go back, before they realize I'm gone."

"They didn't notice last time, so what makes you think they'll notice now?"

"They did too!"

"After how long?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. Lucy loved her friends more than anything else in the world, but even she would admit that they had flaws. Some of them more than others.

A high-pitched scream reached her ears and she whipped her head around. Happy flew towards her at full speed, carrying Natsu.

"Lushee!" Happy cried.

A giant four-legged monster that was made of ice and had no facial features charged towards them. Erza shot swords at it, but they did no damage. Even Natsu's fire couldn't burn it, despite him being way stronger than ever before. Gray's ice was hopeless; the creature absorbed it and it would become stronger.

Lucy let them all go past her; they were to busy retreating to notice Zeref. She tied her magic whip around its leg, and forced it to stay still, using all her strength.

"Go!" she demanded.

…

Zeref didn't want to get involved. Fairy Tail hated him! They would try to take him out the second they got a chance!

However, he still had business with Lucy, and didn't want her to get killed. Plus, Natsu was there, and Natsu was important to him as well. He didn't know anything about the other three, and didn't have a particular interest in them, other than the fact that they were Natsu and Lucy's friends, and that they could become a threat to him in the near future.

Zeref approached the creature and lifted a finger. A dark aura surrounded his body and when he opened his eyes, they were blood red.

 _'Repent!'_

Death magic launched itself forward and blasted the creature. Lucy managed to get away before it had any chance of harming her. She tumbled onto her bottom while her enemy screeched.

…

Natsu turned around and saw the creature as it was being devoured by an unknown power. Something about that power was familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He saw a dark haired figure near Lucy, but couldn't identify them, because he was to focused on her safety.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted.

Then, he froze, the second the creature slammed into the ground. He recognized the figure. That person was Zeref!"

…

"Zeref!" Natsu yelled.

"What?!" Gray and Erza said, in unison.

"That's Zeref! Happy, get Lucy and retreat!"

"Aye, sir!"

…

Erza leapt forward, sword ready. She was prepared to cover Happy if necessary.

She watched the blue exceed fly past her as the dark wizard clenched his head. Erza remembered the story Natsu and Happy told her about his death wave. It was coming.

Next, she equipped her Purgatory Armor and even wore a helmet for extra protection. She had a feeling it wouldn't help against the dark magic, but didn't know for sure, because she hadn't had an encounter with his power before.

"No, don't!" Lucy cried.

Dark magic erupted from the mage, and a wall of ice formed in front of Erza to keep her from moving forward. The ice prevented her from being able to see Lucy and Zeref.

…

Gray grabbed Erza's hand and dragged her away.

He wanted to kill the evil mage, but knew that now wasn't a good time, considering that the mage could kill them any second.

"Happy, get out of there!" Gray yelled.

…

Happy saw Lucy and tried to grab her, but Lucy refused to be taken.

"Go without me! I have a plan!"

"But-"

"Go!"

Happy retreated, as tears flowed from his eyes. He failed to save one of his nakama. Natsu would never let him hear the end of it.

…

Lucy latched onto Zeref and pulled him into a hug.

"Stop! You can control it! You can do it!"

She encouraged him with her arms wrapped around his small frame, squeezing him close. Tears ran down his face.

"D-Don't!" he wailed.

"It's okay, it's not effecting me, see?"

It was true. She brushed right up against the dark magic, but it didn't do a thing. The wave slowly decreased, until Zeref fell to his knees. He shuddered and wheezed. His eyes were back to normal.

"You didn't have to do that," she whispered. "I would've been fine."

She couldn't summoned one of her spirits to hold it off, but she never got the chance.

"T-They couldn't have defeated it. I had to intervene."

A sword pierced the ground beside them.

"Zeref!" Erza exclaimed, while she wore her silver fairy armor.

Happy carried Natsu while Gray ran beside them, shirtless like always.

"Stop!" Lucy ordered, placing herself in front of Zeref.

"Lucy, get out of the way!" Gray instructed, readying an ice bow.

Lucy didn't know what to do, so she picked up Erza's sword, prepared to block any attack that came Zeref's way.

"Lucy-" Erza started, surprised Lucy dared to point a weapon in their, her direction.

"He-He defended me. You all saw, and instead of thanking him, you attack him?!"

"Luce..." Natsu started.

"If it wasn't for him defeating that monster, I, no, all of us could've been killed!"

"But, he's evil!" Gray accused.

"Lucy has a point," Happy agreed.

"Happy!" Erza said, surprised, yet again.

"Because I ran away, Lucy could've died!"

They all looked down, ashamed they couldn't have taken out the beast. There was a chance she could've died defending them!

"Fine," Erza muttered.

"Eh?!" all the others exclaimed.

"But, he's coming with us, back to Fairy Tail! And, no one better kill him on the way!"

"Aye!" Natsu and Gray stated.

…

Zeref was to shocked. He didn't think she would be able to convince them, considering all he had done.

"See? They're nice. All of Fairy Tail is like that," Lucy said, smiling.

He had a feeling that was the case for at least some of them, given who their founder was. Mavis wouldn't want any cruel people in her guild, which was why he regretted having the fairies as his enemies. In a different world, he would try to be their friends, but he didn't live there.

"Y-You're sparing me? After everything?" he asked, Erza.

"Lucy had a rather convincing argument. I wouldn't want to disappoint her, since she would ignore me for the rest of the year. Oh, Lucy, can I have my sword back?"

"O-Oh, sorry."

Erza took her sword and equipped back into her original outfit; the blade faded as well.

"Get up, we're leaving," Gray ordered.

"Aye!"

"I can't believe this, we're taking him alone?" Natsu said.

Zeref could tell that Gray wanted him dead the most, but Natsu showed his unhappiness more than the others. Natsu was always really vocal.

Erza began to give him the lecture and Zeref stood with Lucy in the back.

"Make sure to thank Happy later," Lucy whispered in his ear, before going up ahead.

…

He saw the blue cat talk to Natsu. He would try, though he wasn't the best at that sort of thing. For now, he would try to get back to Fairy Tail in one piece, though, in reality, he wouldn't mind if something was able to finish him off. But, for now, he kind of wanted to see how things would turn out, because they just got a whole lot more interesting.

 **A/N That's the chapter! Zeref is going to go to Fairy Tail! What will await him?**


	5. Chapter 5: The Wizard's Mark

**A/N Sorry for the wait! I'm working on a lot of projects at the moment, so it'll take a bit longer for me to update. Here's the chapter!**

The train rushed by. Team Natsu was silent. Natsu was out because of motion sickness, and Lucy sat by Zeref, since nobody else wanted to. Gray was trying hard not to lash out and kill the guy, though, it was not like he'd die anyway. Erza remained calm like usual, to Lucy's surprise, since Zeref gave her a rough past.

"What is Fairy Tail like?" Zeref asked, attempting to cut the ice.

"Why do you want to know?" Gray huffed.

"Gray!" Lucy said, right before Gray's brow twitched in annoyance.

"If anyone should be asking questions, it's us!"

"Gray, now's not the time," Erza stated.

Lucy knew that Erza was being cautious, since they were in a public area. It would be bad if someone discovered Zeref's presence.

"Tch."

Things silenced for a minute, but Lucy spoke up.

"Fairy Tail is a family, not a place. And, anyone is aloud to have a second chance there," Lucy explained.

"A second chance?"

…

Zeref didn't think he deserved such a thing after all he had done. He had obviously done something to upset the man known as Gray Fullbuster, and the woman known as Erza Scarlet seemed to be holding back fierce emotions as well.

He gazed at the unconscious Natsu that was resting on Erza's lap. Natsu was someone that was, and would always be precious to him, even if Natsu didn't know it himself. If Zeref didn't want to improve himself for his own wellbeing, perhaps he would do it for his brother's sake. Yes, he would reforge their lost bond to the best of his ability, and if he failed, Fairy Tail would be there to take him out.

"That sounds nice," he uttered, to everyone's surprise.

He looked up and saw Lucy's bright smile. It was a smile that could make even the devil blush. The irony in that thought was that the devil was in that room, unconscious. Though, the devil didn't act very demon-like.

Zeref looked away. He felt some heat sweep over his cheeks, and hoped that no one saw. However, a certain blue exceed was giving him a certain look, and Zeref gave him a glare that said 'I will kill you in your sleep if you say anything' in return. That prevented the cat from speaking, but the smug look was still there.

The train eventually pulled to a stop and everyone got off. Natsu was still moaning, somehow managing to completely ignore Zeref's presence, and Lucy did her best to help him recover.

"We're here," Erza stated.

Zeref gazed upward and saw Fairy Tail. It was bigger than he imagined. Mavis did a good job creating the place.

"Now, Zeref, I'm sure our fellow guild members are going to be alarmed when you enter, so do not to anything rash, and let Lucy and I do the talking. Understand?"

He nodded, not wishing to upset the redhead.

Erza shoved the door open and held it in place with one arm. Lucy and Gray were the first to enter and Zeref followed closely behind, trying to stay as hidden as possible.

"Welcome back!" a white-haired girl at the bar counter greeted.

"Mira, can you get the master? There's something we need to tell him," Erza said.

"Sure."

Mira ran off and Zeref took some time to examine the area. There was a giant fight in the center of the guild that was happening right in front of an empty stage. Some members were stuffing their faces with food, others were drinking, and there were only a few that were having civilized conversations.

'This is Mavis's guild? The guild that was watching over Natsu all these years?' he thought, not sure what to think.

But, if people as kind as Lucy Heartfilia could come out, it must not be too bad. Zeref has always had a tough time remembering not to judge people by a first impression.

Mira came back with a short old man that he assumed was the current master. He had a look of confidence that showed proof of experience.

"Quiet, brats!" the old man hollered.

The room went silent, to Zeref's shock. He didn't think it was possible to quiet any of them down.

"Now, what is it you want to tell me?" he asked, Erza.

Erza made a gesture to Lucy and Lucy stepped away, revealing Zeref. People gasped.

"Is that..."

"Yes. I am Zeref."

"You let the darkest mage of all times into our guild?!" everyone bellowed.

"I tried to tell her not to, but she and Lucy were persistent," Gray retorted, not wanting part in any of what was happening.

"I want to punch this guy's face, but they won't let me!" Natsu complained, fully recovered.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here!" a spiky black-haired man yelled, as iron covered his arms.

So, the guild had more dragonslayers than Natsu. Interesting.

"Gajeel!" the master exclaimed.

"But-"

Every mage had their magic ready. There were other exceeds to, and one was in a big, muscular form. As far as Zeref could tell, there were three other dragonslayers than Natsu there, but one wasn't a first gen.

"Everyone, stand down!" he ordered, again.

They all paused, but glared at Zeref. Lucy was ready for any of them to attack, despite how she clearly didn't want to hurt any of her comrades. All of Team Natsu was ready to defend him, even though most of them didn't like him. He didn't understand. Why were they doing it? Was it because of Lucy, or something else?

"Someone, explain."

"We were on a mission when Zeref saved us from this monster that was immune of our attacks. We were going to take him out, but Lucy defended him," Gray explained.

"And, what's your explanation, Zeref? Why did you save them?"

"I-I don't know."

It was the truth. He only intervened, because Lucy was involved. Well, and the fact that his brother was there. If it wasn't for that, he would've disappeared before the monster got close to him.

"Was it out of reflex, or did you have other intentions?"

It wasn't a question he was supposed to answer.

"Either way, you saved their lives, so I'll thank you. However, if you hurt anyone, I repeat, anyone, don't think we'll go easy on you."

"Master, what are you saying?" a girl with brown hair and glasses asked.

"I'm saying that I'm going to give Zeref a second chance. Zeref, do you want to join Fairy Tail?"

Everyone, including him, was awe-struck. He didn't think the master would ask him something so big, so soon, or at all, without any punishment.

"Even after all the trouble I caused?"

"Our guild is about moving on for the sake of finding happiness. If I let someone like you forever drown in despair, I would never be able to forgive myself."

The master was a noble man. Zeref now understood why Fairy Tail was a respected guild, though, he bet that they weren't going to be kind to him when he first joined.

"I want to join Fairy Tail," he decided.

"Wha-"

That was Natsu's voice, but he did his best to ignore it. He needed to move forward then more than ever before.

"Mira, get the stamps."

Mira nodded and ran off.

"My name is Makarov Dreyar, and I'm the current master of Fairy Tail."

He went through a list of names, and gestured to everyone in the guild. Zeref was a quick learner, so the names stuck pretty easily.

Pretty much all of them gave him angry or concerned looks. They all knew it was a bad idea to to let him join, and he had a feeling that something would happen, but he was surrounded by a bunch of powerful mages, and one that was immune to his curse, so as long as that was the case, they should be able to keep him under control.

"What color guild mark do you want?" Mirajane Strauss asked.

Normally, he would've said 'black', but since he was hoping for his time at Fairy Tail to improve himself, he decided against it, since that color normally gave negative vibes.

"White."

"Where do you want it?"

He got it on his wrist.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Zeref."


	6. Chapter 6: How To Hide A Dark Wizard

**A/N Sorry I was late updating this! Our internet was down the entire day, so I wasn't able to do anything.**

 **Hiding the darkest mage of all times isn't easy, so they're going to have to figure something out. And, of course, not everyone is going to be happy about it. This is what this chapter is going to be about. Enjoy!**

A day had passed since Zeref entered Fairy Tail. He stayed at Lucy's house, since no one else was willing to deal with him. Lucy understood where they were coming from, but unlike them, she witnessed his courageous act. Her team did as well, but they weren't as forgiving as her. Happy tried, since he never was one to bring down the mood.

"We need to get you some new clothes," Lucy suggested.

"What?"

"You'll stand out too much, looking like this. Not many people have your choice of style."

He seemed to consider her offer, and didn't put up a fight, so she was relieved. They went to the nearest clothing store, and Happy floated behind them.

"Lucy, what about this?" Happy asked.

Lucy looked at the hat Happy picked out. It was hot pink and sparkly.

"I don't think that's his style," she remarked.

To her surprise, she spotted Zeref staring at light colored clothes. She thought he would be the type to pick out the darkest colors, like black.

"See anything you like?" she questioned.

Zeref was looking at some white sweatshirts.

He showed her the sweatshirts.

They ended up buying a lot of white clothing. He had some black as well, and a bit of gold, but he didn't get anything that would make him stand out.

…

They arrived back at Lucy's house, and the first thing Zeref did was go into her bathroom, and change. He put on the white sweatshirt, and still wore his golden locket, but the sweatshirt made it, so it wasn't seeable.

Zeref exited the room, only to be blinded by a flash of light.

Happy grinned, as he looked at the camera.

"You look great!" Lucy complimented.

"Are you going to call yourself the White Wizard now?" Happy questioned.

Zeref thought it over. It wasn't a bad idea, though, he didn't have any need for that nickname yet. He would remember it, just in case a time came where he did.

"Who knows?"

"Let's go find the others! I'm sure they'd like to see your new look!"

He was practically dragged out the door, and Happy flew ahead of them. They eventually ended up in a woods, and approached a house that had a sign that said 'Natsu and Happy's House'.

'So, this is where Natsu lives,' he thought. 'How am I going to tell him everything?'

Lucy knocked on the door. There was no reply.

"Natsu?" Happy called.

There were footsteps, and eventually, Natsu pushed the door open.

"What is it? It's only ten in the morning. I haven't even eaten yet."

Zeref thought Natsu was a morning person, but Natsu looked like he didn't sleep well during the night, so no wonder he wasn't in a great mood.

'It's probably, because of me,' he grimly thought.

"We gave Zeref a new look! What do you think?" Lucy asked, perkily.

Natsu rubbed his eyes, before looking at Zeref.

"Not bad. Listen, tell Erza that I'm going to be a bit late coming to the guild today."

"Okay! See you later, Natsu!"

The three of them began to head towards Magnolia, after Natsu's door slammed shut.

…

Natsu watched the three leave through his window. Zeref turned his head in Natsu's direction, but Natsu slumped down, before he could be spotted.

"That guy," he muttered.

For some reason, Natsu felt like he had known Zeref long before their first encounter. Sure, he was cautious around the wizard, but that was only, because of what happened the first time Natsu saw him on Tenrou Island. He didn't feel bad around the wizard, just a bit curious; he wanted to get to know him more, since he didn't feel like he could trust him yet.

Even though that was true, Natsu didn't think he was ready to be alone with the guy, yet. However, he needed to get comfortable around him soon, because if he wanted to hang around Lucy and Happy, he needed to get used to being around Zeref, since Zeref was always around Lucy.

The dark mage didn't seem to have any ill intentions, but Natsu still wasn't sure. He would give the guy a chance, but if he hurt any of his friends, Natsu wouldn't hesitate to let his flames eat the mage up.

"I better get ready, or else Erza is going to kill me," he stated, as glanced at a clock that was up on his wall.

…

Lucy entered the guild, with the dark mage and Happy behind her. The only thing was, the dark mage didn't look so dark anymore. He was wearing all white!

Gray blinked, to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Did Lucy torment you with clothing shopping?" he found himself asking.

"I went willingly," Zeref responded.

"Good work, Lucy," Erza said. "Where is Natsu?"

"He said he would be running a bit late. He should be here soon."

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed.

"I see. Well, we still need to give this guy a different name."

"True. Calling him 'Zeref' would bring too much attention," Lucy agreed. "Any ideas?"

...

Zeref didn't know. He wasn't around modern day people enough to learn what kind of names they gave their children.

"Zack?" Erza asked.

"How about Z?" Lucy questioned.

"That's a good idea, it'll be easier for Natsu to remember," Gray agreed.

Apparently, Natsu didn't have a reputation as being a smart person. He and Natsu were opposites, after all.

"That will work," Zeref said.

"Good. We should let everyone else know," Erza stated.

They told the master, who made an announcement to the entire guild.

"He goes by 'Z' now, got that?"

They all nodded.

"And, I don't want to hear you talking about him outside of the guild, unless you're using his nickname. We don't know who could overhear you. Understand?"

More nodded.

"Now, if anyone has any concerns, please speak up now. I don't want any pointless battles."

Evergreen was the first to speak up.

"Master, I don't mean to go against your judgement, but I don't agree with this. Won't the Magic Council be all over us, once word gets out about a new guild member? If they even hear a description that sounds slightly like Zeref, they will come after us," she said, making some other members mutter to each other in agreement.

"That's true," Levy stated. "How will we hide him if the Council shows up?"

"The Council doesn't know this town like we do. Plus, there are many places in the guild where we can hide him, and they don't know about Natsu's house. He can go there, if necessary. Plus, if they show up when he's away, we can use Warren't telepathy to alert him."

"That should work," Warren said. "As long as they don't have anyone that can hack my ability, that is. We would have to make a short message just to be safe, so no long conversations."

"And, if they do find him?" Freed asked.

"Then, we rescue him, just like we would do for any of our other nakama," Erza answered.

"What about if he goes rogue and attacks anyone?" Gajeel inquired. "I mean, I'm sure I can take him out, but what if he gets away from me?"

Gray's eyes darkened.

"Then, we'll take him out, for good."

Zeref was glad that they took his being their so seriously. He didn't have full control over his magic, and could easily bring harm to them. But, he was surprised that any of them cared for him. No, it wasn't that they cared for him, it was that they trusted their master's decision, and were going to let him stay. Their guild was built of trust, and he was going to try to get them to trust him, because at the moment, they were the closest thing he had as allies, and the only ones that could help him rebuild his friendship with Natsu.

"I'm glad that you all understand," the master said. "Now, let's all give Z a warm welcome, and celebrate!"

Everything became chaos, after that. Beer was out, and furniture was being destroyed, because of pointless fights. A table almost flew into his head, but he was lucky enough to be flexible enough to dodge. He was going to try to avoid those fights, as long as he couldn't control his magic. To be honest, he was surprised that he hadn't lost control yet. Perhaps being around, so much light effected him?

After awhile, Natsu eventually showed up, as if he wasn't a mess before. Erza scolded him for being late, but it wasn't as bad as Natsu originally feared.

During the celebration, Zeref caught some of the guild members giving him dirty looks. He felt uncomfortable, so he scooted away, and ended up by the bar where Mira was.

"Want anything?" Mira asked.

"Just water," he responded.

He didn't really have any money at the moment, so he didn't want to fall in debt. At some point, he was going to have to go on some missions.

Zeref tried to sit there peacefully, only for something to slam into his back. Then, something else did, and that repeated. He felt anger seethe into his system and he whipped his head around, eyes red. He caught the next piece of furniture (a table) with one hand. The ones that thought it would be funny to mess with him went silent. He tossed it in their direction, but it smashed into the wall behind them. He wasn't actually aiming for them, but if he was, the result would've been much worse.

Next, Zeref took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Eventually, his eyes returned to normal. He expected Mira to be scared, but in reality, she had the same expression as always. In fact, she seemed to be happy.

"Aw, your first brawl!" she exclaimed, while Cana laughed.

Cana was too drunk to feel fear.

"Wow, for such a tiny man, he can sure pack a punch!" Gajeel remarked.

Zeref wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult, or both, but just hearing Gajeel's voice ticked him off.

"Gajeel..." Levy said.

She was the smart one for a reason. She knew how to pick her battles, and that Zeref wasn't one she should even think about fighting. He was more experienced than any of them ever would be.

"Levy, you're not the only short one, anymore!"

Gajeel was really getting on his nerves. Even though he knew that he shouldn't, he knew that he had to teach the dragonslayer a lesson.

"Hey shorty, wanna fight?" Gajeel asked.

That was it.

Zeref left his chair and faced the dragonslayer. He was sure that the dragonslayer wasn't as strong as he claimed to be.

No matter how much it burned at his core, Zeref would not use his magic. It was to dangerous, and besides, his goal wasn't to kill the dragonslayer, it was to teach him a lesson.

Gajeel moved first.

He was quick, to Zeref's surprise, but not quick enough. Zeref easily slid aside, and Gajeel's iron fist hit the floor. Then, Zeref ended up in the air behind him, and his feet slammed into the dragonslayer's back, knocking him over. Next, Zeref hopped of, but Gajeel stumbled back up to his feet, as if nothing happened.

"It's going to take more than that to defeat me!"

A long sword rushed towards Zeref, but he ducked. It came back towards him, he landed on top of it. Then, he ran towards Gajeel, and the sword vanished, but Zeref was already in the air. He landed behind Gajeel, and attempted to punch Gajeel in the head, only for Gajeel to grab his arm, and throw him into a table.

Some guild members cheered, others whistled, while some stayed silent.

Zeref attempted to sit up, but pain entered his back, forcing him back down. It had been awhile since he had felt actual pain. He was surprised that the dragonslayer was actually able to hit him. Even though Zeref felt real pain at that moment, in a real fight, Gajeel would've died the second he laid his eyes on him.

Gajeel made somewhat of an evil laugh as he closed in on Zeref. Zeref's eyes landed on him, as he attempted to sit up. It was to late. He wasn't able to stand in time. Gajeel was to close to him. Why wasn't his healing working properly? Normally, he would've been up on his feet already.

"Z, I thought you would be a better fight. I hope that when you wake up, you will make yourself stronger."

Gajeel was about to bring his fist onto Zeref's head. However, Zeref stared up at him with beet red eyes. Gajeel froze, his body shaked.

…

'I can't move,' Gajeel realized. 'What did he do?'

He saw Zeref get back up on his feet.

"Gajeel, if I wanted too, I could've defeated you the second we made eye-contact. Do not forget that."

Gajeel couldn't tell if Zeref meant when they looked at each other's eyes, before the fight or a second ago, but either way, he knew that Zeref told him the truth, whether he liked it or not. And, there wasn't a single thing he liked about it.

After Zeref was far enough away, he was able to move again.

"Are you okay?" Levy frantically asked, as he looked down at his hands.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he responded, honestly.

He was just a bit shocked, that was all.

…

Natsu eyed the mage who went back to Mira. Mira was the same as always; happy and supportive.

The fight with Zeref and Gajeel made Natsu's blood chill. He finally found an opponent that was worth fighting. He knew that he had to train hard if he hoped to beat the mage, but it would be worth it. That would mean that he would be the strongest mage in the world!

'No, not the strongest. The second strongest. Acnologia is still out there,' his mind, reminded him. 'And, there is the master.'

"Natsu, are you okay?" Happy asked.

"Happy, we have a lot of training to do."

The exceed smiled.

"Aye!"

 **A/N**

 **How well do you think I did Zeref and Gajeel's fight? And, what do you think of Zeref's nickname? If you can think of something better than Z or Zack, let me know! There aren't many good z names out there. Do you think Zebra would be a good codename? Zeref was previously a dark mage, and he's striving to be a light one, so it would make sense. Let me know! I might use it at some point.**

 **He is going to go on some missions soon. Maybe in the next chapter. I will also probably get the Council involved eventually, and there's still Acnologia, Mavis, and the stuff with Natsu. I have a lot of material to work with.**

 **Oh, and I'll get Lucy's mom and her ancestor's involved somehow, since Lucy is a big focus of this story.**

 **I also need to do more about how Gray and Erza feel about Zeref, along with some of the other guild members that haven't been shown much yet.**

 **Did I forget anything important? Anyway, see you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: First Mission

**A/N Sorry it took so long! I've been kind of lazy, and I've been focusing on other projects. Here's the next chapter!**

"We should go on a mission," Erza suggested.

"A mission?" Gray asked, "with him?"

Zeref knew that Gray was talking about him, but didn't care. Besides, Gray was right. Anything could go wrong, as long as he was around living beings. But, then again, Lucy would be there as well, so perhaps things would go well for once.

"You need to be careful of what you choose. I can loose control of my magic at anytime," Zeref advised.

"He's right," Natsu said. "Just him near there is dangerous."

"As long as I'm there, things should be fine," Lucy reminded, them.

"True," Gray muttered. "Fine. Just, not anything to challenging. I don't want anything to go wrong."

"I've been thinking and-"

"You've been thinking? I'm shook!"

Natsu and Gray bickered for a minute, before Erza clonked their heads in, shutting them up instantly.

"We should give Zeref a new name. Z sounds weird."

"Plus, it would make people suspicious," Erza added. "Any ideas?"

"Zack?" Lucy suggested.

"Zain?" Gray stated.

"Either one of those is fine," Zeref said.

"Zain it is, then."

"We'll tell everyone else later. For now, let's pick out a mission."

They ended up choosing one that would involve them investigating a murder, or more like making the culprit confess. Erza was more than perfect to bring along for that.

They all ended up in a building in the royal knights headquarters in Sunflower, a city that was far to the west of Fiore. It wasn't nearly as big as Crocus, so it wasn't spoken of as much, but it was still known to those in the area. They got a lot of money, because they were right on the border, so constant traders and merchants passed through all the time.

As soon as they arrived, Natsu and Happy stuffed their faces. Well, that was after Natsu recovered from motion sickness.

Zeref didn't do much. He was just glad that he was able to hang out with people without killing them. Just seeing their living faces was enough.

Eventually, they had to start the mission. They appeared at the royal knights headquarters, and spoke to the captain, who was an older man with grey hair that was in a suit of silver armor, that had a sunflower imprinted on it.

"We are wizards from Fairy Tail that have come to help you solve the murder of your son," Gray said. "Any suspects?"

"Yes, actually. I have them all on standby, because of what transpired."

"Is there anyone that hated him?" Lucy asked.

"No, my son was a hardworking man that inspired everyone to do their best, even me," he responded.

"Can you please show us the crime scene?" Zeref questioned.

"Sure, but if any of you don't like blood, turn back now," he warned.

No one did.

"Please, follow me."

The body of an armored man was laid out in the center, and there was a circle of blood surrounding him. Various stars were painted on the walls, and on one wall in particular, there was a message, written in the man's blood.

It read, 'All show bow to the trinity.'

"The trinity?" Lucy asked.

"They don't sound friendly," Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, worried.

"I don't sense any magic in here. It was as if they used him as a sacrifice. You said there were suspects. Do any of them have magic, or do any of them have magic in their blood?" Zeref stated.

"Not that I am aware of. Sunflower doesn't have any wizards. It is one of the only normal human cities in Ishgar," he answered.

…

Lucy noticed the worrisome look on Zeref's face as he examined the message.

"Is something wrong?"

"I have a theory about what the Trinity is, but I need some more evidence. I read something about it in an ancient archive a long time ago, but to rediscover the information, we will have to go to Alkatasia."

"That country has been in chaos for many years. There is a strong military that has taken over its government. They particularly don't like those from Ishgar, because Ishgar has been their enemy for many years. If you go there, yo have to be careful," the man advised.

"I know, but I know those lands well, so we should be okay."

"Oh, we never got your name," Lucy reminded.

"I am Drake Francis, known by Sir Francis for those that serve under me, and when you get any information, please contact me as soon as possible."

...

They all shook hands. Zeref decided to start wearing gloves to make him feel more comfortable touching other humans.

Next, they all left the building.

"We need to go tell the master about this," Erza said.

"Agreed," Gray said.

"But, we'll be able to get this done faster if we go now," Natsu reminded. "Happy, wanna fly on over there?"

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'm more with them on this one. None of us have ever been there before! It could be scary!"

"What if the master says know?" Zeref asked. "Will we still go, or forfeit the mission?"

"Depends. What are your theories on the Trinity?" Lucy questioned.

There are three war gods that are known as the Trinity. They are neither friend nor foe to humankind. They only kill when they feel like it, which is most of the time," Zeref explained. "The thing is, that if they really are making sacrifices to them, they might appear, since they are attracted to violence. Are any of you truly capable of taking on a god?"

"Hell yeah! I'll beat those gods down!" Natsu exclaimed, to everyone's dismay.

"Not before me!" Gray retorted.

"Stop! This is serious! This might turn into a global scale war!" Lucy hollered.

They all shut up, surprised at her outburst.

"Thank you. Anyway, since it is possible that this is the case, we should go talk to the master, and see what he decides to do about this. This may turn into more than just a simple mission."

"Agreed. Let's go home," Erza said.

They all left, but little did they know that someone was watching from the shadows.

 **A/N Short chapter, I know, but this is going to turn into an arc. Just think of this as part 1. I think I'll call this arc Trinity or something like that. Let me know if you have any good names!**

 **About the suspects, they felt as if they already had enough to go on, so that's why they weren't included.**

 **See you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Trinity Part 1-The Oath

**A/N Here's the new chapter! They return to the guild to tell the master about the situation! This is the start of an arc, and I have no idea how long it'll be or what'll happen, so sit back and enjoy the show!**

About a day later, they returned to Fairy Tail. They immediately got down to business, and Lucy was the one that requested a guild meeting.

"Master, there is something important we must speak to you about," Lucy said.

"Aw, you're back! And, I assume this has something to do with your mission?"

"Yes. Zain has something important he needs to tell you."

"I'm listening."

Everyone in the guild was faced towards, Zeref. Lucy gave him a reassuring grin, since she knew he wasn't fully comfortable speaking to others, yet. He nodded, and prepared to give the information.

"When we entered the room of the murder, we came across some ritual marks. The man was made out as a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice to what?" Levy asked.

"That is the thing. My theory is that the sacrifice was made to the Trinity. They are three war gods that are not known for being friendly. In order to be sure, I need to go to Alkatasia. There in an ancient library, I may be able to find the info I need, so we can put this to a stop. If not, the damage to our failure can be catastrophic."

"Psh, gods. How do we even know that they exist? I've never seen such things," Gajeel stated.

Some others obviously agreed.

"Because, a god is the reason I am immortal."

"So, it is true..." Pantherlily muttered.

…

Carla's eyes widened. Visions of blood being splattered on walls, a city on fire, and Natsu crying while inside said flame, along with a hand being reached out in that direction flashed through her mind. Then, there was a flash of light, and the vision ended.

She gasped.

"Carla, are you all right?" Wendy asked, concern filling her voice.

"I'm okay," she answered.

Carla couldn't bring herself to explain her vision. She didn't understand it, she needed to learn more.

…

Zeref thought the exceed's reaction was odd, especially since she acted off right after he gave the explanation.

"Do you know anything about these gods?" Laxus questioned.

"The identity for one is unknown, but I can give you a brief description of the other two. I do not recall their names, since they are in an ancient language that has been long forgotten, but I can give you the descriptions. One is an angel that is said to wear golden armor, and wield a mace. There is another that was described as a fairy. It has no weapon, but uses pure magic that is even more deadly. I've never read anything about the last one, but I assume that it is just as deadly, if not deadlier than the other two."

"How do we destroy them?" Natsu asked, eager to get into battle.

"That I do not know, but I will have to use my magic, so it will be full of risks no matter what we do."

Zeref wasn't completely speaking the truth. He had somewhat of an idea, but it would involve Natsu. Natsu was his brother that was turned demon in an attempt to bring him back from the dead. An attempt that obviously worked, but in return, Natsu lost all memory of his previous life, including the brother that fought, so desperately for him. If Zeref were to use the Book of END that contained his soul, he would awaken Natsu's demon power, but also his desire to end Zeref's life, since that was part of the reason he brought Natsu back in the first place, since he knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep control of himself forever.

"Some of the First Master's power may come in handy, but we must choose wisely in which to use, because I do not think that Fairy Sphere will be wise, because the gods will probably be able to break it anyway, and I doubt that any of you will want to have anymore of your life taken away like what happened at Tenroujima," Zeref added.

Everyone agreed with that. They did not want to be separated from their friends ever again.

"However, there is another problem. From the chaos that will happen during the battle that will take place if we fail to stop the enemy from completing the ritual, we have to worry about Acnologia returning, since he is attracted to my power, and anything that creates massive death, and destruction. Oh, he is also after all the dragonslayers, so you all being there plus me will certainly draw him to us."

Zeref saw them all shutter. They only survived is attack last time, because of the Mavis's help. Hell, they didn't even know what they were doing when they cast it! It was pure luck that everyone made it out alive, or with even one limb still attached.

"And, what do we do about him? He almost killed us!" Natsu yelled.

"And, he would have, if not for your spell. I will have to find someway to deal with him, and I will look for ancient spells when we go to Alkatasia."

"What is Alkatasia, anyway? You keep mentioning it!" Elfman brought up.

"It is another continent," the master answered. "They haven't been on good terms with Ishgar, so they aren't mentioned much. Their government is militaristic, and they conquer as much as possible, but Ishgar has certain weapons to use against them, such as Etherion, which is the only reason Ishgar isn't one with them.

"Master Makarov, there is a separate matter I would like to speak with you about later, if you don't mind."

"Very, well. We will speak after this."

"Do you give me, and a small group permission to enter Alkatasia?"

"Yes, but we need precautions in case something goes wrong."

"There is an island not to far from there. You can keep some guild members there, and have someone use telepathy to contact everyone at times, but you will all need to conceal your guild marks, because Alkatasia isn't to friendly with mages from Ishgar, especially if they are from a guild, and since yours is well-known, you are even more at risk. This mission may get to a point where you need to call in other guilds for help, but for now, let's keep this between Fairy Tail members. We do not wish to cause panic, that will let the enemy know that we are on to them."

"I understand. It will take time to come up with a plan, in case the gods you speak of do get released, but just in case... give me a night. I need to think about some things."

…

Eventually, Zeref met the master in the master's office. There wasn't much there, but he did notice a picture that had the found

"So, you wished to speak to me about something?" the master asked.

Zeref blinked. He wouldn't have found the man, so quickly, if it wasn't for him speaking. The master was even shorter than the desk.

"Yes. There is the matter about Acnologia. If combat happens, he will most likely appear, especially if dragonslayers, and me are there. There are only a couple of ways I can think of to possibly defeat him. One: A dragonslayer unison raid. Dragonslayer magic sounds likely to defeat him, but the problem is that he was once a dragonslayer himself, so I'm not sure it would work. Another way is Fairy Heart. I could gain unlimited power, so that I could take him out, possibly along with the gods, if he hadn't destroyed them already."

"I would rather not resort to that method, since I don't even know how I would get it to you, and since I do not trust you fully. Perhaps, we should make an oath."

"I will comply. What should we make an oath on?"

"That you will only resort to this if necessary, and that it will only be for the sake of what I consider good, and that if you use this power to harm any of my children, harm will come to you in return."

"Sounds fair, but I am immortal, I cannot die," Zeref reminded.

"Then, I'll make it, so you cannot harm anyone else."

Zeref held out his hand, and the master did as well. They held hands, and glowing gold magic surrounded their hands, and arms. The master began to speak.

"I, Master Makarov, leader of Fairy Tail, will allow the dark wizard Zeref to use Fairy Heart, Fairy Tail's secret weapon, against the gods known as the Trinity, and Acnologia, along with any of their allies, as long as no harm will come to any of my comrades. If he fails to abide to these terms, then he will lose the power, and it'll go to whoever I choose. Zeref, do you accept these terms?"

"I accept your terms," Zeref accepted.

The master began to chant, and Zeref did as well. There was a spark, and they let go of each other's hands.

"It is done. I hope you do not forget our promise."

"I do not plan to. The only concern is that I will lose control of my powers."

"If you do, we will stop you. That much I can guarantee."

That was the last thing Zeref heard, before he teleported out of the room.

 **A/N That's it! This oath will be brought up again, I assure you. Yes, expect references to the manga from the Tartarous arc+. The events in the Alvarez arc won't happen, so don't worry about to many spoilers. Just know that I don't plan on having Zeref as the emperor, so their government will be different. See you next time!**


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